Favoring a concubine and destroying the wife? I'll abandon my husband and children and wipe out

At the same time, Cheng Nanzhi, who was at Guantang Courtyard, also received a report from Chen Wang that the matter had been accomplished.

Qingdai had someone keep an eye on the study and Shou'an Hall, saying, "That woman went to see the young master as soon as she got back, then she went to see the old lady, and soon after the young master went too. She's shown off to everyone. I'm afraid she'll come to embarrass herself in front of you next!"

Cheng Nanzhi walked past the shelf, picked up a book at random, and flipped through it, saying, "No, they haven't really secured the Xiangchun Pavilion's location yet. However, Zhao Ye will probably come here to show off when he returns."

Qingdai was shocked: "Could the son-in-law be so shameless?"

"Want to make a bet? If you lose, you have to give me your most beloved hairpin," Cheng Nanzhi said.

"No way, Miss, you are so insightful, I can only lose," Qingdai said.

Cheng Nanzhi smiled and shook her head, then instructed, "Tell Chen Wangli to go to the mansion to find Zhao Ye and see what he's doing."

Sanmei also delivered a message: Ye Ruyue planned to make Wang Kesheng take the blame while also keeping the money she had extorted from him for herself.

She was curious, since Ye Ruyue obviously wouldn't tell Zhao Ye about taking advantage of Wang Kesheng, how did she explain to Zhao Ye that she was going to pay back the money?

Perhaps we can glean some insight from Zhao Ye's actions.

As expected, Zhao Ye arrived in the afternoon.

"Madam, the matter of Xiangchun Tower has been resolved." He took out the invitation to the poetry gathering and placed it on the table, a hint of arrogance in his eyes.

"It seems that even without your concern, I can easily handle this. But this is just this once. Next time, please don't be negligent and leave me to clean up your mess. As you know, I am very busy with official duties."

Cheng Nanzhi slowly raised an eyebrow at Qingdai.

Qingdai: "..." So the son-in-law can really be this shameless!

"Madam, what are you looking at?" Zhao Ye didn't get the response he wanted, so he waved his hand in front of Cheng Nanzhi's eyes in dissatisfaction.

Cheng Nanzhi turned her gaze back to him and said in a pretentious tone, "I was just thinking that my husband is truly amazing. So, I don't need to attend the poetry gathering tomorrow, right? I believe that with my husband accompanying Zege'er, things will definitely fall into place naturally."

Zhao Ye was even more pleased with himself. Just as he was about to agree, he suddenly realized that it wasn't enough to just make Ze Ge stand out in front of Zhou Xiangru. He also needed to surpass others in family background and status before Zhou Xiangru would give up on the young masters from other prominent families.

The Cheng family is renowned and prestigious. If Zhou Xiangru were to witness firsthand how Cheng Nanzhi dotes on Ze Ge'er as if he were her own son, he would believe that the Cheng family would support Ze Ge'er in the future, and the matter of him becoming a disciple would be settled!

"Such an important matter as becoming an apprentice requires Madam's help in making an assessment tomorrow. As Zege'er's mother, Madam cannot be absent."

Zhao Ye also had a hidden idea: he wanted Cheng Nanzhi to see for herself tomorrow just how outstanding his Ze Ge'er was!

Even though they come from humble backgrounds, the bloodline of the Zhao family is still the most outstanding!

Cheng Nanzhi had already heard his thoughts. She sneered inwardly but responded as usual.

Zhao Ye was eager to share the good news with his sweetheart, so he left after sitting for a short while, making an excuse to tell Old Madam Zhao.

Seeing Lan hurry in, she said, "Miss, Chen Wang says he has something important to report."

Cheng Nanzhi glanced at Qingdai.

Qingdai understood and dismissed the servants to stand guard outside.

"Madam! This servant followed the master all afternoon and discovered that he was secretly running a betting operation at a casino near Xiangchun Tower, betting on which side would win tomorrow's poetry competition. But he was betting on other people's bets and even had people acting as shills to inflate the odds and entice others to bet on others!"

Chen Wang simply couldn't understand it.

Zhao Shize is Zhao Ye's nominal son, so why wouldn't he hope that his son would win the poetry competition?

Cheng Nanzhi was slightly taken aback, but in a flash she suddenly understood.

That's it!

Zhao Ye clearly had great confidence in Zhao Shize and would never think he was inferior to others. Therefore, his betting on others was intentional!

He wanted to create the impression that Zhao Shize was the least likely to lose, so that if Zhao Shize won, he, as the bookmaker, would be the biggest winner. Many people would lose a lot of money, perhaps enough to pay off their loan shark debts!

This must be the method Ye Ruyue and Zhao Ye came up with to repay the money!

I have to say, those two are quite clever!

But how could they be so sure that Zhao Shize was the most outstanding one in the end and thus won?

Cheng Nanzhi had inquired and learned that many highly learned individuals were attending the poetry gathering. How many talented people would Zhao Ye have to secretly recruit to cheat and make Zhao Shize famous?

Since Zhao Shize's teacher in the dream was not Zhou Xiangru, and he did not attend the poetry gathering, Cheng Nanzhi really didn't know what Zhao Ye and Ye Ruyue would do at the poetry gathering the next day.

After thinking for a moment, Cheng Nanzhi asked Chen Wang, "When you were following the master, did you notice him secretly getting close to anyone?"

Chen Wangdao: "Do people from the casino count?"

"No, I mean the kind of person who looks very knowledgeable. Or did he instruct anyone around him to make contact with such people?"

"No," Chen Wang said firmly. "This servant has been following you closely and is certain that none of the servants around you have left. They were only sent by you to negotiate with the people at the casino."

Cheng Nanzhi seemed to be thinking for a moment, then said, "Chen Wang, I have another task for you. No matter what method you use, find out if anyone around the Master has been acting strangely or secretly looking for someone these days. Pay special attention to Qian Yidong, who he uses."

Chen Wang immediately responded.

Cheng Nanzhi thought for a moment and then gave him an even more urgent task before waving him away.

He called Jianlan in and said, "Go quietly and find Sanmei. Ask Ye Ruyue if she has inquired about any talented people in the capital who are suitable for employment. Also, probe her thoughts on the young master's performance at the poetry gathering."

Lan accepted the order and left.

Cheng Nanzhi thought about these shortcomings and sent someone to invite Zhao Shize over. She gently inquired about his preparations for tomorrow and whether he had listened to Zhao Ye studying diligently.

Having gained more trust in Cheng Nanzhi after yesterday's events, Zhao Shize spoke up without any reservations: "Of course I'm ready! Father also said that he'll take care of everything tomorrow, and that I can rest assured and get a good rest tonight."

Cheng Nanzhi's eyes flickered slightly: "Everything is thanks to him? How so?"

Zhao Shize said, "I don't know, Father didn't say much." He took it for granted, "Father is so powerful, if he says it's okay, then it's okay."

Cheng Nanzhi deliberately put on a stern face: "Ze-ge'er, don't try to shift the blame to your father just because you're lazy. Don't I know how much ink your father has?"

Zhao Shize grew anxious when he saw that she didn't believe him.

"It's true! My son wasn't lying!"

"Father is incredibly learned! The other day he casually composed a poem for me, and it was absolutely exquisite! So Father said that with him around, he can rest assured about everything, and my apprenticeship will go smoothly!"

To convince Cheng Nanzhi, Zhao Shize used a poem written by Zhao Ye as evidence.

"—The sunset glows and the lone wild goose flies together; the autumn waters blend with the vast sky! This is what Father just casually said. Mother, don't you see how talented Father is? He must have a great understanding and confidence in the poetry gathering!"

Zhao Shize spoke with sparkling eyes, his face full of filial piety.

A huge wave of emotions surged within Cheng Nanzhi!